Chicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions, but none of them ranks as his favorite play this season.
“Probably the Tush Push,” he told the Tribune last week. “Just being able to get in there and strip the ball out and get the ball back.”
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Wright’s strip of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and fumble recovery on a critical third-and-1 play in the third quarter swung momentum in the Bears’ eventual 24-15 win on Black Friday.
“The Tush Push was crazy,” he said. “I probably got the most love from that play.”
Wright appreciates the love he’s receiving from fans who have been selecting his name for the Pro Bowl. Fan voting ends Monday.
“I mean, it’s hard not to see,” he said. “And obviously you want those type of accolades. You want that recognition from your peers, the fans and coaches.”
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As of Monday morning, Wright ranked second in voting among cornerbacks, trailing only the Carolina Panthers’ Jaycee Horn, according to preliminary results from NFL.com and team websites. His three fumble recoveries give him a league-leading eight takeaways.
Wright was one of 14 Bears, in fact, who ranked among the top 10 in fan votes at their positions. Players and coaches will cast votes before the final selections are revealed sometime in January.
Guard Joe Thuney and free safety Kevin Byard III ranked first at their positions Monday morning. Thuney was acquired in a March trade to beef up the offensive line, and Byard tops the interceptions leaderboard with six.
Here’s the full list of Bears vote-getters in the top 10 at their positions:
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Kevin Byard III, first, free safety
Drew Dalman, second, center
Nahshon Wright, second, cornerback
Devin Duvernay, third, return specialist
Darnell Wright, fourth, tackle
Josh Blackwell, fourth, special teams
Scott Daly, fifth, long snapper
Caleb Williams, seventh, quarterback
Jonah Jackson, seventh, guard
Montez Sweat, eighth, defensive end
D’Andre Swift, 10th, running back
Colston Loveland, 10th, tight end
Tory Taylor, 10th, punter
Coach Ben Johnson singled out the offensive line — which includes four Pro Bowl candidates in Thuney, Dalman, Darnell Wright and Jackson — after the Bears plowed through the Cleveland Browns 31-3 on Sunday.
“They’re playing at a super high level,” Johnson said Monday. “I went to sleep last night just thinking about that trap block that Jonah Jackson had with about two minutes left in the half. He absolutely annihilates the three-technique. Things like that just put a little smile on my face.
“Drew’s a huge part of what we’re doing, but I can’t say enough good things about that entire offensive line.”
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Asked last week about his and his fellow linemen’s candidacy, Dalman said: “I don’t think it’s a priority for us. All of those guys — Joe, Jonah, Darnell, Ozzy (Trapilo), Theo (Benedet), Braxton (Jones) — everybody has done an excellent job of executing, playing hard. All the commendation in the world to those guys.
“As far as whether or not I think the Pro Bowl is important to worry about right now? I don’t. It’s not really on my mind.”
ESPN Analytics last week ranked the Bears offensive line second in both pass-block and run-block win rate.
The Pro Bowl will take place Feb. 3 in San Francisco, five days before Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The signature event, a flag football game between the AFC and NFC, will air live on ESPN at 7 p.m.
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The Bears would welcome any selections when the 88-man roster is announced, but Nahshon Wright represents their best feel-good story. He entered training camp as a likely reserve and got his opportunity because of injuries, so even he couldn’t have envisioned his season would unfold this way.
“I don’t think that was really on my forethought,” he said. “But as the season progressed and the plays started to be made, you obviously thought about it, the possibility of it. And being able to see my name on the ballot was definitely cool.”